President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney are both embarking on a week heavy with travel through battleground states and appeals to key constituencies. The candidates are courting voters in a series of must-win states and reaching out to a number of voting groups that could determine the election, from working-class white voters in states like Ohio and Wisconsin to Latino voters in Florida.
Obama was kicking off a week of travel in Ohio on Monday, with stops planned in Cincinnati and Columbus. The president was raising campaign cash in New York on Tuesday, followed by events in Florida on Thursday, Virginia on Friday and Wisconsin on Saturday — all states Obama carried in the 2008 election. Obama was making his first trip to Wisconsin in months and his most pronounced pitch to voters there since Romney added Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan to the ticket. Wisconsin has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since President Ronald Reagan in 1984 and is considered one of Romney’s most enticing electoral targets.
Romney’s itinerary includes fundraising stops in the Los Angeles area on Monday along with outreach to key Latino voters, including an address to the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and an interview with Spanish-language television network Telemundo. The network interviewed Obama last week.
WATCH: Telemundo’s interview with Obama last week.
Romney was also expected to hold fundraising events in Utah and Texas before heading to Florida for fundraisers later in the week.
Romney spent several hours Sunday at a Boston-area hotel with advisers, including Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, conducting some preparation for the fall debates and taping an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes.” The first debate, considered a crucial showdown between Romney and Obama, will be held Oct. 3 in Denver.
Romney had planned to hold a rally in Pueblo, Colo., later Sunday, but the event was cancelled after a small aircraft crashed at the Pueblo airport. The event was scheduled to be held at an aircraft museum near the airport. Romney spokesman Rick Gorka said the campaign did not want to interfere with the investigation or any emergency response efforts.
Romney’s plane made a short stop in Kansas City, Mo., to refuel before continuing to Los Angeles.
